Well, not really. The Argentina coach openly mocked Bastian Schweinsteiger yesterday following comments the German midfielder had made about Argentinian gamesmanship.

“If you see how they gesticulate, how they try to influence the referee,” Schweinsteiger had said. “That is not part of the game. That is a lack of respect. They just are like that.

“I hope the referee will pick up the feeling of who is provoking whom,” he continued. We saw that again in their match against Mexico at half-time. This behaviour shows their character and mentality.”

The build-up to tomorrow’s quarter final clash has been rather tetchy, with both countries still bristling over Germany’s win on penalties at the same stage four years ago, which saw a mass brawl break out at its conclusion.

Many modern coaches would downplay Schweinsteiger’s comments, say he is entitled to his opinion, that he should be respected as a player but nothing else matters. But Diego Maradona is not your typical modern coach.

Which is why his response was to look directly into a Fox Sports camera, put on a bad German accent and say: “What’s the matter, Schweinsteiger? Are you nervous?”